After years of growth, private business aviation went into a steep nosedive in 2008. Over the past year, the industry has made a comeback, but does its double-digit growth signal a sunny future for the aircraft industry alone, or is it a sign of brighter days ahead for the economy in general?

The price of a plane ticket is heading sharply higher. That's because airlines face steeper fuel costs and continue to cut capacity to keep profits from falling. You can still find some relative bargains, but it's going to take a lot more planning ahead.

A half-dozen Delta Air Lines flight attendants sued the carriers for what they say is discrimination in the form of smaller profit-sharing paychecks for former Northwest Airlines employees, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Cathay's Tony Tyler explains that when airlines last raised fares in 2008, most travelers kept right on flying. But as Mideast upheavals send oil prices skyward and airlines hike fares again to compensate, the impact on the industry's bottom line could be quite different.

Air travel delays can sometimes seem like the last straw for frustrated passengers. But new software, such as delay-prediction app FlightCaster, combined with some commonsense planning, can help keep air travelers sane and on schedule.

A scant few U.S. carriers took home honors from this year's "Best of Business Travel" awards from Business Traveler magazine. The apparent malaise affecting U.S. airlines may go beyond the current economic downturn to something more fundamental.

American Airlines third-quarter revenue per seat mile is likely to see a double-digit increase from a year earlier, as the largest U.S. airline benefits from what appears to be a rebound in travel spending.

Boeing's plan to relocate two major defense programs from California to Oklahoma could signal the start of a major shift in the locations of defense contractors, and how they work. For the areas attracting the companies, it's about jobs. For the contractors, it's about remaining competitive.

Work is moving forward on a new light rail link from downtown Denver to its airport, backed by an unusual combination of federal loans and private investment. The project will create thousands of jobs, and add a much-needed public transit option for reaching the nation's fifth-busiest airport.

Airlines plan to nearly triple the number of planes with in-flight Internet access this year, but fewer than one in 50 passengers currently pay for the service. When will WiFi revenues start to take off?

As airspace slowly reopens in parts of Europe and some airlines restart their service, the continent's aviation industry and the E.U. are trying to adjust to the historic economic disruptions brought on by ash from the Iceland volcano.

With air travel restrictions still crippling most of Europe, national governments and businesses are starting to bridle under the unprecedented shut-downs. Losses are now reaching more than $200 million a day. A U.K. pilots group says: "A number of airlines are now staring bankruptcy in the face."

International shipping companies are scrambling to keep their operations moving, even as volcanic ash from Iceland closes down air traffic across much of Europe. Time-sensitive documents make up a large part of international air shipments. Promises of overnight deliveries are on hold.

The massive cloud of volcanic ash spewing from Iceland is doing more than creating dangerous flying conditions and stranding thousands of passengers on several continents. It's casting a pall over many parts of the economically stressed aviation industry.

It's been a grueling winter for many American travelers as airlines preemptively cancel flights ahead of any possible heavy weather. In early February alone, nearly 1 million passengers were stranded as 13,000 flights were canceled. And chances look good that once winter is over, the situation will only get worse.